Created and maintained by professors of political science at Montana State University, this website seeks to bring political science analysis to current political events in Montana, the United States, and across the globe. Our aim is to provide nonpartisan analysis and commentary in a political world replete with punditry and partisanship.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

What is the deal in Illinois? Putting Barack aside for the moment, here are some of the public officials the voters have elected to various offices in the past:

1. Governor Blagojevich: The target of a corruption probe for the past three years, the FBI arrests him for attempting to sell Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder.

2. Governor Ryan: In jail over federal corruption charges that included selling licenses and services to the highest bidder in the state.

3. Senator Carol Mosley-Braun: Met with a dictator in Nigeria, and was under investigation by the FEC and charged with several violations (but could do nothing because the FEC's enforcement is a joke).

4. The Daleys: Enough said.

5. Dan Rostenkowski: Indicted in the House post office scandal in 1994.

Here are some others--all governors--courtesy of William Spain, at the Wall Street Journal:

"Otto Kerner, a Democrat who was convicted in 1973 on 17 counts of bribery, conspiracy, perjury and other charges before being sentenced to three years in the pen. The federal prosecutor in that case, James Thompson, later ascended to the governor's chair and wound up getting his law firm to defend Ryan for free.Dan Walker was convicted in 1987 -- years after leaving office -- of bank fraud. Serving from 1973 to 1977, with a reputation as a reformer, he was the last Democratic governor of the state before Mr. Blagojevich took office in 2003.Lennington Small, a Republican, served from 1921 to 1929. He was indicted while in office for embezzlement related to actions taken when he was state treasurer. He was later acquitted; several of the jurors in the case ended up with state jobs." The link to the article is here.

This state is nuts. It's like the voters can't help themselves...they have to have corrupt elected officials, otherwise they wouldn't know how to keep themselves entertained.